Kanban Board

The Board view lets you arrange subnotes as cards on a Kanban board.

Creating a Kanban board#

Right-click an existing note in the Note Tree, select Insert child note, and look for Kanban Board.

How it works#

When you first create a collection of the Board type, a few subnotes are created, each with a #status label set. The board then groups each note by the value of its status attribute.

Notes are displayed recursively, so even grandchildren and more deeply nested notes will be displayed. However, unlike the Table, the notes are not displayed hierarchically.

Working with columns#

Creating columns#

You can create a new column by pressing the Add column button located after the last column.

Enter the new name (which must not match another column), optionally select an icon by pressing the circle at the start of the text box, and then press the (+) button or Enter. Click or tap outside the text box, or press Esc, to dismiss it.

Reordering columns#

The order of the columns can be changed at any time. There are several ways to do this:

Using touch or a mouse: Touch and hold the column header, or click and hold it with the mouse. Drag the column left or right until it reaches the desired location, and then release it.
Using the keyboard: While the keyboard focus is anywhere inside the column, you can use these key combinations. If the column header itself is focused, you can omit Alt:
- Ctrl + Alt + Right: Move the column to the right.
- Ctrl + Alt + Left: Move the column to the left.
- Ctrl + Alt + Home: Make it the first column.
- Ctrl + Alt + End: Make it the last column.
Using the column menu: Open the column menu and use the Move column submenu.

Renaming and recoloring columns#

To change the name of a column, open the column menu and select Rename column, or press F2 while the column header is selected.

From the same menu, you can tint the column with a different color by using the color palette at the bottom of the menu.

Collapsing and expanding columns#

Collapsing#

A column can be collapsed (minimized) to occupy less space on the screen and make the board look less cluttered. This is particularly useful for columns that are not frequently used, or when you want to focus on only a few columns and keep the rest out of sight.

To collapse a column:

Using a mouse: Double-click the column header.
Using touch: Tap the column header, and then press the button on the side toolbar.
Using the keyboard: Focus the column header, and then press Space.

Alternatively, you can use the Collapse column command from the column menu.

Once a column is collapsed, its cards are no longer visible, but the column can still receive cards from other columns:

Drop cards onto a collapsed column: The cards will be moved to the column (at the bottom if manual sorting is enabled).
Hold cards over a collapsed column for a few seconds: The column will expand, allowing you to drop the cards at the desired position (if manual sorting is enabled) or peek at the other cards before deciding whether to drop them.
Move a card to a collapsed column using the keyboard: The column will temporarily expand to reveal the moved card. You can then continue moving the selected cards up or down, or to another column.

Collapsed columns can still be reordered, and their menus remain available.

Expanding#

You can restore a collapsed column so that its content is visible again in the following ways:

Using a mouse: Click the collapsed column.
Using touch: Tap the collapsed column, and then press the button on the side toolbar.
Using the keyboard: Move the focus to the collapsed column, and then press Space.

Keeping a column collapsed#

By default, once a column is expanded, it remains expanded. However, you can configure a column to collapse again after you finish working with it. To activate this behavior, open the column menu and check Keep the column collapsed.

A column configured to remain collapsed will expand like any other collapsed column, but only temporarily, until another column is focused.

Collapsing and expanding all columns#

You can expand or collapse all columns at once by using the (collapse) and (expand) buttons. On the desktop, these buttons are located at the bottom of the screen; on the mobile interface, they are in the header.

Sorting cards within a column#

By default, the cards in a column are sorted manually by moving them up and down. You can also keep them sorted automatically, using customizable criteria for each column. To customize the sorting options, open the column menu → Sort. The following options are available:

Board's default: Use the default sorting order (initially manual for new boards).
Manually: Sort cards by manually moving them up and down.
Title: Sort cards by title.
Creation date & time: Sort cards by the creation date and time of the note represented by each card. If a card was created from an existing note, the date and time will match the original creation date and time of that note, not when the card was added to the board.
Any custom attribute: Any card attribute (see Attributes) can be used as a sorting criterion.
Ascending: Sort from smallest to largest (A to Z, 0 to 9, or oldest to newest).
Descending: Sort in reverse order, from largest to smallest.

How card attributes are sorted#

When cards are sorted by an attribute, they are ordered according to the following rules:

Attribute type	Sort order (ascending)
Text, Multi-line text, URL, Email, Phone	A to Z, 0 to 9
Number	lowest → greatest
Date, Date & time	oldest → newest
Time	earliest hour (closest to 0) → latest hour (closest to 24)
Boolean	unchecked → checked
Select	The order in which the options are declared. For example, a select attribute declared with “Low”, “Medium”, and “High” options will be sorted as follows: Low → Medium → High.
Color	Grays → colors. Colors are ordered by their color-wheel hue angle (from 0° to 360°).

Relation attributes are ordered according to the title of the target note.

Cards with attributes that have no value set are always sorted at the end of the column, regardless of whether the sort order is ascending or descending. If an attribute holds more than one value, only the first value is used for sorting.

Configuring the default sorting options#

Every new column uses the Board's default sorting option, which is initially set to manual sorting on new boards. However, the default can be changed to any other sorting criterion and direction. To configure it, go to Note menu → Board properties → Default card order (under the General section).

Once the default is changed, all columns set to the Board's default sorting option will follow the new sorting options.

Columns using a sorting option other than Board's default will not be affected by the new default. To override all columns so that they use the default sorting options, use the Reset sorting options to default for all columns command in Board properties.

Setting a limit#

For each column, you can limit the number of cards it contains (also known as a WIP limit). Once the limit is exceeded, the column displays a visual warning to indicate that it is over its limit.

To enable the limit, go to the column menu → Set limit, and then:

Turn on the Warn for exceeding the column capacity toggle.
Enter the desired limit in the Maximum number of cards in the column text box.
Press the Set limit button.

A column that has reached its limit can still accept new cards. Blocking new cards is not supported and most likely never will be, due to the way Trilium works: cards are regular notes, and the attributes used to group them into columns can be set from anywhere in the app, outside the board control. As a result, enforcing the limit would not be consistent.

Archiving a column#

If you want to hide a column from the board without deleting it, you can archive it by opening the column menu → Archive column. Archiving a column does not set the archived flag (see Archived Notes) on the notes corresponding to its cards.

To show archived columns again, go to Collection options and toggle Show archived notes. Archived columns will appear faded. To restore one, open its column menu and select Unarchive column.

Deleting a column#

You can delete a column by opening the column menu → Delete column, or by pressing Delete when a column header is focused, and then confirming. This removes the column from the board and unsets the grouping attribute for each note represented by a card in that column. If the column contains cards, the confirmation also offers to delete their notes instead of keeping them.

The inbox column is not deleted this way. Its menu entry is Remove inbox column, and Delete on its header hides the inbox without changing any card.

The inbox column#

The inbox column is a special column containing cards that are not assigned to another column. It is particularly useful when you switch an existing collection containing child notes to a board collection. The inbox column turns all child notes into cards that you can quickly distribute among the other columns. It can also act as a backlog where you can keep new cards that might eventually become part of the board.

The inbox column is hidden by default. To show it, go to Collection options and toggle Show inbox column. The inbox column is distinguishable by its transparent background. It is always the first column and cannot be moved. It does not support a card limit. Otherwise, it operates like a regular column: its title, icon, and color can be changed; it can be sorted manually or automatically; and it can be collapsed.

You can also show the inbox column by applying the #board:showInbox label (read more about Attributes) to the board note.

Optionally, the inbox column can also list nested notes from the board collection's subtree. To enable this, open the column menu and check Include nested notes.

Changing the width of columns#

There are three predefined widths for board columns: narrow (default), medium, and wide. To change the width, open the Note menu → Board properties → Column width (under the General section). This option applies to every column on the board, except in the mobile version.

The same option is also available through the #board:columnWidth label (read more about Attributes) on the board note, which accepts “narrow”, “medium”, or “wide” as its value.

You can also redefine these three widths by using custom app CSS (read more about Custom app-wide CSS) and assigning the desired pixel values as follows:

#trilium-app {
  --board-column-width-narrow: 275px;
  --board-column-width-medium: 325px;
  --board-column-width-wide: 400px;
}

Working with cards#

Creating a new card#

To create a new card, press the New card button located at the bottom of each column. To create a new card above or below a specific card, right-click or hold that card, and then select Insert new above or Insert new below from the context menu. Alternatively, press Shift + Enter to create a new card above the focused card, or Enter to create one below it.

Next, type the title of the new card, and then press the button or Enter to complete it. Tap or click anywhere outside the text box to dismiss it. You can also select a different icon and card template. To learn more about card templates, see Card templates (learn more about Templates).

After the card is created, you can tap or click it, or press Space, to edit the note content.

When using the New card button, cards are always created at the end of the column. To create the card at the top of the column, right-click or hold the button and select Create at top. When using keyboard shortcuts, focus the column header and press Enter to create a new card at the start of the column, or Shift + Enter to create one at the end.

Adding an existing note as a card#

Any note in your knowledge base can be represented as a card on a board. To add an existing note to your board, create a new card but do not enter a title. Instead, press the button. Alternatively, use the Add an existing note as a card command from the column menu.

In the dialog that opens, search for the note by name, and then press the Add to column button to insert it. Alternatively, you can drag any note from the tree and drop it at the desired position on the board.

If the target note is already in the board collection's subtree, it will already be listed in the inbox column.

Selecting multiple cards#

When working with a board, you may need to perform operations on multiple cards at once, such as moving them to another column, setting attributes or colors, deleting them, or archiving them.

You can select multiple cards in the following ways:

Using a mouse and keyboard:
- To add a card to the selection, hold Ctrl and click the card. Repeat this for other cards until all the desired cards are selected. Clicking a selected card again while holding Ctrl will deselect it.
- If the cards you want to select form a continuous sequence within a column, hold Shift, click the first card in the sequence, and then click the last card.
- Press Esc to clear the selection.
On mobile:
1. To enter selection mode, tap the button at the top of the screen. A selection toolbar will appear in the header, displaying “0 cards selected”.
2. Tap the cards you want to select. If you tap a selected card again, it will be deselected. To select all cards in a column, press the button on the selection toolbar. To clear the selection, press the button.
3. Use the side toolbar to apply actions to the selected cards.
Using only the keyboard:
- To add the currently focused card to the selection, press Ctrl + Space. Repeat this for the other cards you want to select. Pressing Ctrl + Space again on a selected card will deselect it.
- To select a continuous sequence of cards within a column, hold Shift and use the Up and Down arrow keys to expand or shrink the selection.
- To select every card in the column the focus is in, press Ctrl + A. The same action is available from the column menu, as Select all cards.
- Press Esc to clear the selection.

Moving cards between columns#

To move one or more cards to another column, use one of the following methods:

Using touch or a mouse#

Touch and hold the card, or click and hold it with the mouse, and then drag it to the desired column. If the column uses manual sorting, you can also position the card relative to the other cards.

If the target column is collapsed, you can drop the card onto its header to move it into that column (at the end if manually sorted), without expanding it. However, if you want to reveal its cards before dropping, hold the card over the column for a few seconds; the column will then expand.

Using the keyboard#

You can also use keyboard shortcuts to move the selected card or cards between columns:

Ctrl + Right: Move to the next column.
Ctrl + Left: Move to the previous column.
Ctrl + Shift + Right: Move to the last column.
Ctrl + Shift + Left: Move to the first column.

Using the context menu#

To quickly move a card to another column, open the card's context menu and select the destination column. The menu lists the first seven columns; on a wider board, the remaining ones are grouped under More….

Reordering cards within a column#

Cards within a column can be freely reordered unless the column uses a sorting option other than manual. To reposition a card, drag it as described in the Moving cards between columns section and drop it at the desired position.

Alternatively, you can use keyboard shortcuts to move the selected card or cards:

Ctrl + Up: Move up.
Ctrl + Down: Move down.
Ctrl + Home: Move to the top of the column.
Ctrl + End: Move to the end of the column.

If multiple cards are selected, the keyboard shortcuts work only if the selection consists of a continuous sequence of cards.

Editing a card#

Every card on a board is a regular note. To edit the note associated with a card, click or tap the card, or press Space when the card is selected. The note will open in a Quick Edit dialog, where you can modify it. You can also open the note in a new tab, split, or window by using the Open note submenu in the card's context menu. To open the note in a new tab on the desktop version, you can also click or tap the Open note menu item directly, without opening its submenu.

To change the title or icon of a card, use one of the following methods:

Using a mouse: Place the mouse pointer over the card, and then click the button.
On mobile: Hold the card until the side toolbar appears, and then tap the button.
Using the keyboard: Select a card, and then press F2.
Using the context menu: Open the card's context menu and select Edit title & icon.

You can then enter a new name and select another icon. To move the keyboard focus from the title field to the icon selector, press Shift + Tab. Click or tap anywhere outside the card, or press Enter, to apply the change. Press Esc to discard the changes.

Each card can be tinted with a different color. Open the card's context menu and select the desired color. If no color is assigned, the card inherits the column color.

Archiving a card#

A card can be hidden from the board without deleting it by using the Archive note command from the card's context menu.

To show archived cards again, go to Collection options and toggle Show archived notes. Archived cards will appear faded. To restore one, open its context menu and select Unarchive note.

Deleting a card#

You can remove one or more cards from the board and delete their associated notes by using the Delete note… command from the card's context menu, or by pressing Shift + Delete. On mobile, hold the card until the side toolbar appears, and then tap the button.

Removing a card from the board without deleting the note#

To remove a card from the board's columns while keeping its note, open the card's context menu and select Remove from column, or press Delete. On mobile, hold the card until the side toolbar appears, and then tap the button.

This command is not available when the inbox column is enabled. Instead, drag the card to the inbox column to achieve the same result.

The note remains in the board collection but is not assigned to any column. To see it on the board again, enable the inbox column.

Working with custom card attributes#

By default, the face of a card displays a minimal set of information: the title, icon, and color. In some cases, this may not provide enough useful information at a glance. You can extend the card to display extra information, called card attributes, such as a due date, priority, completion status, or any other information you need. Card attributes use the same principles as Promoted Attributes.

Creating a new attribute#

To create a new attribute, follow these steps:

Go to Note menu → Board properties, find the Card attributes section, and then press the Create a new attribute button.
Enter a name for the attribute. This is the internal name used by Trilium, so do not use spaces or special characters.
Select a type (text, number, boolean, and so on).
Set the display name. This is the name shown on the card.
Press Save & close.

Here is an example of the attributes you can define for a typical Kanban board used to track tasks:

Attribute name	Attribute type	Attribute display name
dueDate	Date & Time	Due date
priority	Select (options: Low, Medium, High, Urgent)	Priority
done	Boolean	Done

Modifying the values of custom attributes#

To set the value of a custom attribute, click or tap the card, and then enter or select the desired value in the dialog header.

For attributes of the “select” or “boolean” type, you can quickly change the value by using the card's context menu under the Attributes section.

Reordering, hiding, redefining, and deleting custom attributes#

Go to Note menu → Board properties. Under the Card attributes section, you can:

Hold the = handle shown beside an attribute, and then drag the item up or down to reorder the attributes. This determines the order in which the attributes are displayed on the card.
Turn off the toggle to hide an attribute from the card's face. The attribute remains available when you edit the card. For the current grouping attribute, the toggle is disabled.
Press the button to modify the definition of an attribute.
Press the button to delete the attribute and all its values from every note in the board collection.

Managing card templates#

When you create a new card, Trilium offers four templates by default: Text, Markdown, Canvas, and Spreadsheet. You can customize this list to include other note types or custom templates with predefined placeholder content and prefilled card attributes.

To customize the card templates, go to Note menu → Board properties and find Card templates. Here you can:

Include a note type or note template already created in your knowledge base by pressing the Add existing template button and then selecting the desired note type or template.
Create a new template by pressing the Create a new template button. The template editor will open, where you can define the icon, title, default attribute values, and default content. The note template will be created as a child of the board collection.
Press the button to remove a template from the list. The template is removed only from the list, not deleted from your knowledge base. You can add it again using Add existing template.
Press the button to open a dropdown that lets you edit, open in a new window, duplicate, or delete a template. This button is visible only for custom note templates.
Hold the = handle shown beside a template, and then drag the item up or down to reorder the templates. This determines the order in which templates are listed in the template dropdown when you create a new card. You can move the most frequently used templates to the top for faster access.

Grouping cards#

On a board, cards are grouped into columns. The column to which a card belongs is determined by the value of the grouping attribute, which is a regular attribute of the card's note.

By default, boards use the Status attribute as the grouping attribute. When you move a card to a column called “Waiting on Customer”, the card's Status attribute is set to “Waiting on Customer”.

Creating a new grouping attribute#

To quickly create a new grouping attribute:

Open the Group by dropdown in the board header and select Create a new attribute.
Fill in the Name field. This is used internally by Trilium, so do not use spaces or special characters.
Enter the Display name. This is the attribute name shown in the dropdown list.
Press Save & close.

Switching the grouping attribute#

Switching the grouping attribute lets you view your cards by priority, category, or any other custom grouping attribute. You can switch the grouping attribute at any time by using the Group by dropdown in the board header. You can also change it using the #board:groupBy=<_attribute name_> label.

Deleting a grouping attribute#

To delete a grouping attribute, go to Note menu → Board properties, find the attribute under the Card attributes section, and press the corresponding button.

Grouping by relations#

A more advanced use case is grouping by Relations.

In this mode:

The columns represent the target notes of a relation.
When creating a new column, you select a note instead of entering a column name.
The column icon matches the target note.
Moving notes between columns changes their relations.
Renaming an existing column changes the target note for all notes in that column.

Using relations instead of labels has several benefits:

The status or grouping of notes is visible outside the Kanban board, for example, on the Note Map.
A column takes its title and icon from the target note, so renaming that note anywhere in the tree renames the column.

To use relations for grouping:

Create a Kanban board from scratch rather than from a template.
Assign #viewType=board #hidePromotedAttributes to emulate the default template.
Set #board:groupBy to the name of a relation, including the ~ prefix (for example, ~status).
Optionally, use Promoted Attributes to make changing the status within the note easier:
```
#relation:status(inheritable)="promoted,alias=Status,single"
```

Searching and filtering the board#

You can search for cards using the search box at the top of the board. Enter your keywords, and then press the button in the search field or press Enter. Only cards whose titles, content, or attribute values match the query will be displayed. Columns without results will be temporarily collapsed to make room for the matching cards. Press the button in the search field to clear the search and display all cards again.

Advanced filtering#

If you need to refine the view to display only cards matching specific criteria beyond a regular text search, you can use Trilium's search query syntax. Here are some example queries:

Display only cards whose Priority attribute is set to “Low”:

#priority=Low

Display only cards whose Issue Category is set to “Software” and whose Site is set to either “Office” or “Factory”:

#issueCategory="Software" AND (#site="Office" OR #site="Factory")

Display only cards with a Due Date in the next seven days that are not yet marked as Done:

#dueDate >= TODAY AND #dueDate <= TODAY+7 AND #!done

The filter persists even after you close the tab. When you reopen the collection, the filter remains active until you clear the search query by using the button.

Linking to a column or a card#

You can create a link that opens the board and points out a specific column or card. Open the column menu or the card’s context menu, select Copy reference, and then paste the link where you need it.

In a text note, the pasted link displays the title, icon, and color of the column or card it points to. In a Markdown or code note, the plain link address is pasted instead. Opening the link scrolls the board to the column or card and focuses it. If the column belongs to a different grouping attribute, the board switches to that attribute first.

Kanban Board

Creating a Kanban board#

How it works#

Working with columns#

Creating columns#

Reordering columns#

Renaming and recoloring columns#

Collapsing and expanding columns#

Collapsing#

Expanding#

Keeping a column collapsed#

Collapsing and expanding all columns#

Sorting cards within a column#

How card attributes are sorted#

Configuring the default sorting options#

Setting a limit#

Archiving a column#

Deleting a column#

The inbox column#

Changing the width of columns#

Working with cards#

Creating a new card#

Adding an existing note as a card#

Selecting multiple cards#

Moving cards between columns#

Using touch or a mouse#

Using the keyboard#

Using the context menu#

Reordering cards within a column#

Editing a card#

Archiving a card#

Deleting a card#

Removing a card from the board without deleting the note#

Working with custom card attributes#

Creating a new attribute#

Modifying the values of custom attributes#

Reordering, hiding, redefining, and deleting custom attributes#

Managing card templates#

Grouping cards#

Creating a new grouping attribute#

Switching the grouping attribute#

Deleting a grouping attribute#

Grouping by relations#

Searching and filtering the board#

Advanced filtering#

Linking to a column or a card#

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